Christian Lee: Building Hawaii An MMA Stage The Island Never Had
When Christian “The Warrior” Lee was 15, he could fight three times a month. The young athletes walking into his Hawaii gym today have almost nowhere to compete at all, and the two-division ONE World Champion has decided to change that himself.
Lee co-owns Prodigy Training Center in Waipahu with his wife, Katie. The family gym, rebranded in 2024, has quickly become a rallying point for martial artists across the island.
Before his next chapter at home, the 28-year-old has work to do in Bangkok. He defends his ONE Lightweight MMA World Title against Tye Ruotolo in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on Friday, November 6, at Lumpinee Stadium, exclusively for subscribers at live.onefc.com.
With no active amateur MMA promotions left on the island, Lee recently staged an in-house event to give local fighters a place to compete.
“When I was 15, I was able to fight three times a month. And now these guys who are wanting to fight, I see that there’s definitely a need for it. So I’m happy that we can put on events like this. And when we have like 30 guys competing, they’re all in the gym, and there’s not a single altercation in the gym,” Lee said.
“It’s great to see everyone coming together from different gyms, and just being happy to have that platform to fight, to get where they want to go. A lot of these guys, really, their dream is to be pro fighters.”
He is far from doing it alone. His younger brother, Adrian “The Phenom” Lee, coaches beside him, Katie keeps the business running smoothly, and some of the island’s biggest names have joined the effort.
“We’ve been blessed to have a lot of support from my friends over the years. Max has been coming in regularly to train and to help give me looks in the room. And another good friend, Ray Cooper, has been coming in, too,” he said.
“Between the three of us – me, Max, and Ray – we’re like the seasoned fighters coming out of Hawaii who still live and train out of Hawaii. Despite all of the odds against us out here, we’re still just putting in the work and not feeling a need to leave the island. We’re just coming together and working hard. I’m happy with everything.”
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